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D. KNOWLES.

Marine Vessels for Preventing the Shifting of Gargoes. No. 215,136.Patented May 6, 187.9.

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D. KNOWLES. Marine Vessels for Preventing the Shifting of'Gargaes. No.215,136. Patented May 6,1879.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIcE.

DANIEL KNOWLES, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TOOBED E. WHITEHURST, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN MARINE VESSELS FOR PREVENTING THE SHIFTING -0F CARGOES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 215,136, dated May 6,1879; application filed March 21, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL KNOWLES, of the city of Norfolk, in thecounty of Norfolk and State of Virginia, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Marine Vessels for Preventing the Shifting of Oargoes;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same.

The object of my invention is to provide improved means for preventingthe lateral shifting of loose cargo in the hold of a vessel when itcareens in a stiff breeze or storm, and thereby obviate the danger ofthe vessel foundering in consequence of failing to recover her balance.Vessels loaded with grain are particularly liable to loss from thiscause, since the mass of grain settles considerably after it has been afew days in the hold, thus leaving a vacant space between it and thedeck, which allows the upper portion of the grain freedom to run andshift from side to side as the vessel rolls. When the contraction of thevolume of the cargo has exceeded a certain limit, if the vessel thenchances to roll heavily, the danger of foundering becomes very greatfrom the lateral shifting of the cargo and the corresponding shifting ofthe center of gravity.

The means I employ to prevent this, and thus carry out my inventionpractically, is a movable false deck or horizontal partition, which isadjustable vertically, to adapt it to be held up out of the way whilethe cargo is being placed in the hold, and then lowered as the cargocontracts and settles, so as to confine it and prevent any change ofplace by movement of the vessel.

In the drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure l is asectional perspective View. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section; Fig. 3, avertical section, and Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views.

The section of the hull A represented is part of a woodensailing-vessel, but my invention is applicable to iron vessels as well.

B indicates the movable false deck or horizontal partition. The same isplaced directly beneath the true deck 0, parallel thereto, and is bothsuspended and adjusted vertically by means of screws D D, while it isprevented from lateral or endwise movement by its sliding attachment tothe vertical posts or stanchions E E, hereinafter described. It may beconstructed of planks or scantling, strengthened by diagonal ortransverse cross-timbers a, or of plate or sheet iron, provided withribs of wrought or cast iron. When made of planks it will be taken outand thrown away at the termination of the voyage; but if of iron it willconstitute a permanent portion of the structure of the vessel. Thickbeams F F are secured transversely to the false deck B at its ends, andalso at suitable intervals of distance throughout its length, and tothese beams the screws D D are connected.

I illustrate two ways of arranging the latter. One is shown in Fig. 5,and consists in swiveling'the lower ends of the screws D to metal platesb, bolted on the beams F, while their upper ends pass up through thedeck C and work in nuts 0, which are held in brackets d, attached to theposts or stanchions E. Said stanchions are securely fixed between thedeck-timbers G and beams H, extending transversely between the sides ofthe hull A. By this arrangement of the screws they project above thedeck 0 more or less, according as the false deck B is raised or lowered.

I prefer, however, the arrangement shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, in whichthe lower ends of the screws D D are swiveled in fixed brackets b, andwork through nuts 0, which are bolted to the beams F, and slide free inbrackets d, attached to stanchions E. Thus, to whatever position thefalse deck B may be adjusted, the screws D D will project up through thetrue deck 0 only far enough to allow the convenient application of awrench or lever for turning them, and will hence offer practically noobstruction to any of the usual operations incident to loading,unloading, or maneuvering the vessel. The upper ends of the screws D Dmay be covered by metal caps g, to protect them, and prevent entrance ofwater where they pass through the deck.

The false deck B is attached to the several stanchions E E by means ofbands or keepers I, which slide on the latter as the deck is adjustedhigher or lower. In Fig. 4 the stanchions E are represented detachablefrom the deck-timbers G and cross-beams H, being temporarily securedthereto by means of metal socket-plates h, or any other preferred devicecapable of the same function. The screws 1), bracket d, nuts 0, andpressure-beams F, being also connected with the said stanchions, aredetachable with it, and thus at the end ofa voyage the stanchions E,screws I) 1), pressure-beams F, and other attachments are removedtogether from the timbers and beams G and H, and stowed away in a bunkeror other convenient place until again wanted for use with another falsedeck.

Pawls i, pivoted to the pressure-beams, may be employed in connectionwith ratchet-plates k, attached to the stanchions E, Fig. 1, tosupplement the function and strength ofthe screws in holding the falsedeck down upon the grain with the requisite degree of pressure.

I am aware that railway stock-cars have been provided with a movable orfalse floor, which can be adjusted and held fixed at any desired pointbetween the true floor and the roof or deck of the car for the purposeof adapting the latter for transportation of a larger number of animals;but the purpose of such construction and the arrangement of the devicefor adjusting the false floor are, respectively, foreign to anddifferent from mine.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a marine vessel, the combination, with 1 the true deck, of thefalse deck and the screws passing through the said true deck,substantlally as shown and described. whereby such screws are madeaccessible for operation for adjustment of the false deck to cause thesame to press upon and hold the cargo in the manner specified.

2. The combination of the swiveled screws 1) I), the nuts 0, brackets d,stanchions E, false deck B, and true deck (1, said screws porjectingthrough the latter, and being thus made accessible for application of awrench or turning device, as shown and described.

3. The combination of the screws D D, the fixed brackets (I, in whichthey are swiveled, the nuts c, attached to the pressure-beams F, theguides in which the screws work free, the stanchions E, and the falsedeck B, substantially as shown and described, whereby the rotation ofthe screws D D effects the adjustment of the false deck B withoutchanging the position of said screws with relation to the true deck orother fixed portion of the vessel.

4. The combination of the detachable stanchions E, sockets h, bracketsd, and screws D l), the pressure-beams E, and nuts 0, all said partsbeing connected as shown and described.

5. The combination of the false deck B and keepers I with the verticalparallel stanchions E, on which said keepers slide when the false deckis adjusted, as specified.

The above specification of my invention signed by me this 14th day ofMarch, 1879, at

Norfolk, Virginia.

DANIEL KNOWLES. \Yitnesses:

J. W. Pratt, 'Inos. J. Sco'rT.

